Bonsignore: Signing LT Andrew Whitworth an excellent start for Rams

A steady hum of construction work echos twenty-four seven across 298 acres in Inglewood these days. From which, a grand new stadium will eventually be erected for the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers.

Nearly 50 miles away in Thousand Oaks, a different sort of job site is buzzing.

Going all the way back to the day the Rams parted ways with head coach Jeff Fisher, the club has gotten busy rebuilding itself. If not entirely from the ground up, certainly a slew of major renovations encompassing everything from philosophy to schemes to the way they are coached.

And now, finally, the very sort of players they seek to carry out new head coach Sean McVay’s vision.

One week into that phase of the renovation, the Rams have added some key new pieces that, at least on paper, make them a better team right now than when they concluded the 2016 season a little over two months ago.

Coming off a 4-12 season, that might not be saying much. But if the goal is to get better, the Rams appear to be accomplishing their objectives with the additions of left tackle Andrew Whitworth, wide receiver Robert Woods, cornerback Kayvon Webster and defensive end Connor Barwin.

Up ahead is the draft, where the Rams are armed with eight picks in a pool deep in wide receivers, safeties and defensive linemen. And while the draft appears shallow at offensive line — an area the Rams are still tinkering — there figures to be some day one starters available when their first pick turn comes up at the 37th spot overall.

It’s still relatively early in the offseason, and between the second week of free agency, the draft, and post-draft roster tinkering time is on the Rams side to address even more areas of need.

With that in mind, here is a look at what the Rams have done so far and the work they still need to do.

Best move

It’s impossible to qualify just how important the signing of veteran left tackle Andrew Whitworth is for the Rams. Suffice to say, though, his impact will be felt on various different levels.

From creating peace of mind for young quarterback Jared Goff, immediately improving the narrative of the Rams beleaguered offensive line to being the catalyst that gets Todd Gurley back on track, Whitworth’s influence has the potential to be every bit as big as his 6-foot-7, 335-pound frame.

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Faced with addressing their single most important need, the Rams were able to tap into the best option available in Whitworth, long regarded as one of the top players at his position.

And in spite of his 35-year-old age, he’s shown no signs of letting up.

The impact Whitworth will have on the offensive line could create a far-reaching ripple affect that benefits every phase of the Rams offense.

“The first thing I have to do is do my job well and hopefully that can impact and influence throughout my group,” Whitworth said. “I know some of those guys and I think a lot of some of them. I think that from the guys that I do know, I look forward to getting the chance to know the rest of them and know them better — kind of know who they are as a player and how I can help.”

Don’t sleep on

Back in the day a highly productive edge rush linebacker in the Rams’ Eagle 3-4 defense was forced to make a position change to a three-point 4-3 defensive end.

Ironically it was then-Rams defensive coordinator Jeff Fisher who made dominant outside linebacker Kevin Greene switch positions to defensive end, where he was woefully misplaced. The result was a dramatic fall off in production and an eventual break up with the Rams. Greene resurfaced in Pittsburgh, where he immediately got back on track by moving back to outside linebacker and producing a handful of dominant seasons that ultimately earned him induction into the Hall of Fame.

No one is mistaking new Rams edge rusher Connor Barwin with Greene, but there are similarities to their stories that can’t be overlooked. Much like Fisher did with Greene, Eagles defensive coordinator Jeff Schwartz asked Barwin to move from 3-4 outsize linebacker to a 4-3 defensive end last year.

The result was a major dip in pass rush production, as Barwin slumped to five sacks last year after notching 14.5 in his 2014 Pro Bowl season and 31.5 overall from 2013 to 2016.

With the Rams, Barwin will return back to his more comfortable outside linebacker role in Wade Phillips’ 3-4 defensive scheme. The pair have a working relationship — Phillips coached Barwin in Houston — and there is every reason to believe Barwin can reclaim his previous pass rush prowess, much like Greene did moving from the Rams to the Steelers back in the day.

A work in progress

If you watched the Rams last year, their lack of perimeter play-makers was glaring. The signing of former USC star Robert Woods, who spent his first four NFL seasons in Buffalo, won’t immediately fix that but it’s a start.

Woods is a precise pass route runner, which is a perfect fit in McVay’s timing-based passing game. And that will make him a big-time friend to Goff, a rhythm passer who can have confidence Woods will be in the right spot and the right time when he delivers a pass.

Woods won’t take the top off a defense, but he can consistently help move the chains. He’s also a willing, effective blocker which will also help Gurley in the running game.

Missed out

The Rams had a good plan in place chasing Bills restricted free agent center Ryan Groy, who started seven games last year under new Rams offensive line coach Aaron Kromer and helped the Bills average 177 yards rushing. Unfortunately the Bills were onto it, and immediately matched the two-year offer sheet. That means it’s back to the drawing board for a new starting center to replace Tim Barnes, who was released last year. The Rams hope to reel a center in in free agency or via a trade, but if not, they may have to turn to the draft and that’s always dicey uncovering a day one starter at such a demanding position.

Now what?

First and foremost, the Rams need a new center. Among the possibilities are veterans Nick Mangold, Broncos restricted free agent Matt Paradis and Redskins free agent John Sullivan.

But they also need a safety that better fits Phillips defensive scheme — an assignment the Rams don’t appear confident T.J. McDonald can handle.

The draft is deep in safeties, and by addressing left tackle and wide receiver the Rams have some flexibility to look to that position with the 37th pick overall. Some names to keep an eye on are Alabama’s Eddie Jackson and Texas A&M’s Justin Evans.

More urgent, though, is getting Goff more perimeter play-makers, making a wide receiver like East Carolina’s Zay Jones such an intriguing possibility.